Ha Ha, Suck It PTC

The Parents Television Council — the conservative watchdog organization that bullies the FCC about regulating the good stuff on TV — is suffering from internal strife and a sharp decrease in funding, according to the New York Times. The PTC’s revenue was down 26% last year, the staff has been reduced 38% over the last two years, and a disgruntled former employee alerted the media to a fraudulent direct-mail system:

Like many nonprofit groups, the council raises money by mail: sign and return this petition — preferably with a donation — and we will send it to the F.C.C. But internal documents show that, at least for a period of some months, the council was opening tens of thousands of envelopes, looking for money, and skipping the rest of the steps…

Daniel Borochoff, president of the American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity watchdog that gives the council a “C-plus” rating for financial efficiency based on its I.R.S. filings, said unfulfilled direct mail should ring “serious alarms” with potential donors. “It certainly tarnishes the credibility of this organization,” Mr. Borochoff said.

Another thing that tarnishes the credibility of the organization? Saying that a photo shoot of 24- and 28-year-olds borders on pedophilia.

I know that it’s wrong to cheer for something to fail, but I can’t wait to dance on the PTC’s grave. I can’t stand the way they skew an important subject like parents monitoring what their kids are watching. Also, I’d like standards of decency relaxed to the point where we can see boobs on basic cable.